Manager's Special

Is it possible to save money without coupons? Sure! Lots of stores have an area where they put discounted items. They might gather items together in one spot, dedicate endcaps, or scatter them throughout the store. Some use special "clearance" or "last chance" stickers, while others just mark them to rock bottom prices.

Kroger stores are notorious for their "Manager's Special" items. Items here are often things about to go out of date that need to be sold quickly. When I hit my local Kroger, I go for these areas first. Many times, perishable items will have these stickers and they can be found in the produce dairy, meat, and bakery departments.

The other day, Quatro needed formula and I'll be dogged if I'm paying full price for that stuff! We went straight for the "Manger's Special" section and hit jackpot. There were 2 large cans of powered formula. Woot! Rumor has it that if you actually talk to the store manager, they will often times sell it to you for less than the amount printed on the discounted sticker... Haven't tried that yet, but I ain't skeert to give it a try! :)

If your grocery budget looks more like a shoestring than a rope, this is a great way to slice that budget without compromising the quality of things your family consumes. If it's something that can be frozen and it's on clearance, get it! I have frozen obvious things like meat, for use at a later date, but have also frozen bread, pies (fresh baked, not previously frozen), milk, cheese, etc. There isn't much I haven't tried to freeze, actually. Granted, some things turn out better than others. My recent sour cream trial was a no-go. Lesson learned, but it's still fine for cooking.

If you're looking for ways to slice & dice your grocery budget and don't know if your store has a clearance section, talk to your store's manager. It might be your store's best kept secret. Save on, friends! :)